JP2011505914A - Stethoscope cover and device for removing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A protective cover for a stethoscope head and a device for interconnecting the protective cover to a stethoscope head quickly and easily. The apparatus includes a cover positioning device that positions the protective cover so that it can be interconnected to the stethoscope head quickly and easily. The cover positioning device includes a base having a flat portion and an upstanding rim coupled to the flat portion, the upstanding rim defining an opening for receiving a stethoscope head. After examining a patient using a stethoscope with a head protective cover, the protective cover can be quickly and easily removed from the stethoscope head and then properly treated to contaminate the protective cover during patient examination It is possible to prevent unwanted skin bacteria and similar contaminants from being undesirably transmitted to the next patient.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates generally to medical devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to a disposable cover for a stethoscope head and a device for removing the disposable cover (dispenser, applicator for dispensing the disposable cover).

  A stethoscope is an acoustic medical device for auscultating or listening to internal sounds in the human or animal body. It is most often used to listen to heart sounds and breathing (breathing sounds), but may also be used to listen to blood flow in the intestines and arteries and veins. A stethoscope operates on sound transmitted from a chest piece to a listener's ear through a hollow tube filled with air. It is possible to place a chest part on the patient and sense relatively high frequency sound through a diaphragm, usually implemented in the form of a plastic disc. When the diaphragm is placed on the patient, body sounds vibrate the diaphragm, creating an acoustic pressure wave that travels up the tube to the listener's ear. In use, a stethoscope is usually applied to the skin of the patient's neck, chest, or back and is often contaminated with skin bacteria and similar contaminants. These can be transmitted undesirably to the next patient unless the portion of the stethoscope that contacts the patient is sterilized on each use. Bacterial infections among patients are exacerbated by the development of antibiotic resistant strains of staphylococcal infections, particularly in hospitals. This problem is what the device of the present invention seeks to overcome by providing a new stethoscope cover and a new removal device that quickly and easily removes the stethoscope cover.

  Many different types of stethoscope covers and devices for removing the covers have been proposed in the past. An example of such prior art is the stethoscope cover and retrieval device disclosed in US Pat. No. 6,206,134 issued to Stark et al. The Stark et al. Patent discloses a stethoscope head cover made of a thin sheet of plastic that overlaps the diaphragm of the stethoscope and its surrounding rim, with a discontinuous layer of peelable adhesive on one surface of the plastic. ing. The discontinuous layer of adhesive is in a predetermined pattern, and this pattern is selected such that air passages are provided from the area between the cover and diaphragm through the rim to the external area of the stethoscope. The cover generally comprises a thin plastic sheet with a flat, peelable adhesive discontinuous layer applied to one surface. The adhesive adheres to both the diaphragm and the rim of the stethoscope, but does not adhere to the air passage, eliminating air pockets or bubbles that are trapped between the diaphragm and the cover.

  U.S. Pat. No. 6,019,187 issued to Appavu is a pathogen that is removably attached over the outer edge of a high frequency pick-up section of a stethoscope and contacts when the stethoscope is used for human examination Disclosed is a disposable stethoscope cover diaphragm that isolates the pick-up part from the device. The cover diaphragm can be used as a diaphragm for a stethoscope pickup section and can be used with a diaphragm supplied to a stethoscope. After the cover diaphragm is used, it can be disposed of, crushed, or washed and reused.

  US Pat. No. 5,466,697 issued to Ross et al. Is supplied as an array of diaphragms stacked in a tube in a retrieval container for removing a disposable stethoscope diaphragm for releasable attachment to a stethoscope head. A take-out container is disclosed. The diaphragm is removed by a plate that is slidably mounted on the base to move between retracted and extended positions. When the take-out plate is in its retracted position, a cradle formed in the plate receives a single diaphragm from the opening. The diaphragm can be placed in a position that allows the diaphragm to be attached to the stethoscope head within the plate cradle by pressing the stethoscope head against the diaphragm by moving the extraction plate from the retracted position to the protruding position. it can.

US Pat. No. 6,206,134 US Pat. No. 6,019,187 US Pat. No. 5,466,697

  In summary, one form of the present invention comprises a handheld cover removal unit that can be used to interconnect a disposable stethoscope cover to a conventional stethoscope head. The cover removal unit includes a combination of a cover positioning device and a disposable stethoscope cover that is removably attached to a stethoscope head. The cover positioning device includes a base having a flat portion and a standing rim coupled to the flat portion, the standing rim defining an opening for receiving a stethoscope head. The disposable stethoscope cover comprises a thin, yieldable deformable membrane-like central portion having a peripheral portion and an elastic ring interconnected to the peripheral portion. Can be removably received on the upstanding rim of the cover positioning device.

  Another aspect of the invention comprises a stethoscope head cover device mounted on a wall or table for removing a plurality of cover removal units having the features described in the preceding paragraph. This form of the invention includes a novel supply unit for sequentially removing the cover removal unit. The supply unit includes a housing having a base having a front portion and a rear portion, and an upstanding tower connected to the rear portion of the base for holding a plurality of stacked cover removal units. An ejector slide is operatively associated with the upright tower to move a selected unit of the cover removal unit from the upright tower into a generally keyhole-shaped opening formed in the base of the supply unit. The disposable cover is conveniently interconnected to the stethoscope head.

  With the above in mind, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new handheld cover removal unit that can be used to quickly and easily interconnect a disposable protective stethoscope cover to a stethoscope head.

  Another object of the present invention is a thin film center in which a protective stethoscope cover is positioned in close protective engagement with the lower surface of the stethoscope head when the cover is interconnected to the stethoscope head. It is to provide a cover removal unit of the above character, which comprises a part.

  Another object of the present invention is to remove bacteria from the stethoscope head quickly and easily after seeing the patient and then handle it appropriately, and skin bacteria and similar contamination that may contaminate the protective cover during the patient's visit It is to provide a protective stethoscope head cover having the characteristics described in the above paragraph, which can prevent the substance from being undesirably transmitted to the next patient.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a hand-held take-out unit of the type described above that has a simple and compact structure and can be mass-produced at low cost.

  Another object of the present invention is to conveniently supply a take-out unit having the features described above from an upright tower that includes a plurality of cover take-out units and sequentially position them on a strategically designed base to It is to provide a new wall or desk mounted supply unit that allows the protective cover to be removed from the cover positioning device and quickly and easily interconnected to the stethoscope head.

  These and other objects of the present invention are achieved by the novel apparatus of the present invention. Its features are described in the following paragraphs.

1 is an overall perspective exploded view of one form of a cover positioning device of the present invention for positioning a disposable stethoscope head cover so that it can be conveniently interconnected to a stethoscope head. FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view similar to FIG. 1 showing a disposable stethoscope head cover interconnected to a cover positioning device to form a cover removal unit of the present invention. It is a whole perspective exploded view of one form of the supply unit of the present invention for taking out a cover taking-out unit sequentially. FIG. 4 is an overall perspective view similar to FIG. 3, showing how the cover removal unit is sequentially removed from the tower of the supply unit. The cover removal unit of the present invention is stacked in the tower of the supply unit and strategically positioned on the base of the supply unit to make the disposable cover into a stethoscope head having the general features shown in phantom in FIG. FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional side view illustrating a method of interconnection. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view similar to the right portion of FIG. 5 showing how the stethoscope head shown in phantom is mated with the cover positioning device. FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 5A showing the disposable cover interconnected to the stethoscope head shown here in phantom. FIG. 5 is an overall explanatory view showing the removal of the assembly comprising the stethoscope head and the protective cover from the supply unit.

  Referring to the drawings, in particular FIGS. 3 and 4, one form of a stethoscope head cover device of the present invention is shown, generally indicated by numeral 12. The apparatus 12 here comprises a plurality of cover removal units 14 having the characteristics shown in FIG. 2 and a supply unit 16 having the characteristics shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 in the figure. The supply unit 16 functions to sequentially take out the plurality of cover take-out units 14 by the method described below. However, it will be appreciated that, as noted above, the cover removal unit 14 can be packaged and distributed as an individual handheld unit that can be used by a physician to interconnect the protective cover to the stethoscope head. .

  As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, each cover removal unit 14 includes a base 20 having a generally flat portion 22 and an upstanding rim 24 coupled to the portion 22 in the manner shown in FIG. A positioning device 18 is provided. For the purposes described below, the generally flat portion 22 of the base 20 is provided with an open segment 23. Similarly, the standing rim 24 is provided with an open segment 24a aligned with the open portion 23 of the flat portion of the base.

  A cover assembly 26 is connected to each of the cover positioning devices 18 to form a pick-up unit 14 (see FIG. 2). The cover assembly 26 includes a uniquely constructed disposable cover 28. As best seen in FIG. 1, the disposable cover 28 has a thin, deformable thin film-like central part 28a and a peripheral part 28b. An elastic ring 30 is connected to the peripheral portion 28b. The elastic ring 30 can be removably received on the upstanding rim 24 of the base 20 in the manner shown in FIG.

  Considering again the take-out unit 16 of the device of the invention shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 in the figure, the take-out unit 16 now comprises a base 32 having a front part 32a and a rear part 32b. As shown in FIG. 3, the front portion 32a is provided with a generally keyhole-shaped opening 34 which describes the purpose below.

  Connected to the rear portion 32b of the base 32 is an upright takeout tower 36 having an internal chamber 36a (FIG. 5). The internal chamber 36a serves to hold a plurality of cover removal units 14 stacked in the manner shown in FIG. For the purposes described below, the chamber is provided with a slot 36a formed proximate the rear portion 32b of the base (see FIG. 5). An ejector slide 38 is slidably received in a slot 36a for moving between a first retracted position and a second removal position. When the ejector slide moves from its first retracted position to its second removal position, a unit selected from the cover removal unit 14 such as the device identified by the numeral 14x in FIGS. 3 has moved from the inner position shown in FIG. 3 to the outer position shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, where the unit resides on a generally keyhole shaped opening 34 in the outer position. The supply unit (removal unit) 16 includes a housing having a base 32, an upright tower 36, and an ejector slide 38.

  With the cover removal unit, designated 14x, in place over the generally keyhole-shaped opening 34 (FIG. 5), the disposable cover assembly 26 is shown in the manner illustrated in FIGS. 5, 5A, and 5B. Can be interconnected to the stethoscope head. More particularly, to interconnect the disposable cover 28 to the stethoscope head, the stethoscope head is shown in phantom lines in FIG. 5A from the position shown in phantom lines in FIG. 5 in the direction of arrow 41 in FIG. 5A. It is moved to the lower position, and engages with the central part 28a of the cover which can be deformed indented in the lower position. As the stethoscope head continuously moves downward in the direction of arrow 41 in FIG. 5A, deformation of the central portion 28a of the cover 28 occurs in the manner shown in FIG. 5A. As the stethoscope head moves further downward to the position shown in FIG. 5B, the stethoscope passes through the generally keyhole-shaped opening 34 (see FIG. 3) and reaches the position shown in FIG. 5B. As the stethoscope head passes down through the keyhole-shaped opening 34, a stethoscope-air filled hollow tube "T" is formed in the base 20 and the standing rim 24, respectively, and It passes through the open part 24a. As the stethoscope head moves downward, the resilient ring 30 is released from the rim portion of the base and engages the peripheral portion “P” of the stethoscope head in the manner indicated by arrow 43 and FIG. Is removably secured to the stethoscope head, and the flexible central membrane portion 28a of the cover is intimately engaged with the lower surface “S” of the stethoscope head. Once the cover is in place on the stethoscope head, the assembly thus formed can be removed from the device 12 in the manner shown in FIG. 5C. After examining the patient, the cover assembly 26 can be conveniently removed from the stethoscope head and discarded into a suitable contaminated waste container.

  Although the present invention has been described in detail according to the requirements of patent law, those skilled in the art will be able to make changes and modifications to individual parts or their associated assemblies without difficulty to meet individual needs or conditions. Such changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

Claims (10)

(A) a cover positioning device for interconnecting a disposable stethoscope cover to a stethoscope head comprising a base having a flat portion and a standing rim connected to the flat portion, A cover positioning device that defines an opening for receiving a stethoscope head; and
(B) a disposable stethoscope cover that is removably attached to a stethoscope head, comprising a central portion having a peripheral portion and an elastic ring interconnected to the peripheral portion, the elastic ring of the cover positioning device; A disposable stethoscope cover that can be removably received on the standing rim;
Combination.   The combination of claim 1, wherein the central portion of the disposable stethoscope cover comprises a dent-deformable membrane.   The combination of claim 1, wherein the standing rim of the base includes an open portion.   The combination of claim 3, wherein the flat portion of the base includes an open portion aligned with the open portion of the upstanding rim of the base. (A) a plurality of cover positioning devices, each comprising a base having a generally flat portion and a standing rim coupled to the generally flat portion, wherein the standing rim defines an opening; The device,
(B) a cover assembly coupled to each of the plurality of cover positioning devices to form a plurality of cover removal units, each of the cover assemblies;
(I) a disposable cover having a central portion and a peripheral portion;
(Ii) an elastic ring coupled to the peripheral portion of the cover, wherein the elastic ring is removably coupled to the standing rim of one device selected from the plurality of cover positioning devices. A cover assembly;
(C) a supply unit for sequentially taking out the plurality of cover removal units, the supply unit comprising:
(I) a base having a front portion and a rear portion, the front portion having a generally keyhole-shaped opening;
(Ii) an upright tower connected to the rear portion of the base for holding a plurality of stacked cover removal units, the slot having a slot formed close to the base;
(Iii) The generally key-shaped opening formed in the base portion of the supply unit by moving between a first withdrawal position and a second removal position and selecting one unit selected from the cover removal unit An ejector slide received in the slot of the upright tower for moving up
A stethoscope head cover device, comprising: a supply unit comprising a housing having:   6. The device of claim 5, wherein the central portion of the disposable stethoscope cover comprises a dentable deformable membrane.   The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the upstanding rim of a base included in the cover positioning device includes an open portion.   The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the flat portion of the base includes an open portion aligned with the open portion of the upstanding rim of the base. (A) a plurality of cover positioning devices each comprising a base having a generally flat portion and a standing rim coupled to the generally flat portion, the standing rim having an open portion; When,
(B) a cover assembly coupled to each of the plurality of cover positioning devices to form a plurality of cover removal units, each of the cover assemblies;
(I) a disposable cover having a thin, dent-deformable central portion and a peripheral portion;
(Ii) an elastic ring coupled to the peripheral portion of the cover, wherein the elastic ring is removably coupled to the standing rim of one device selected from the plurality of cover positioning devices. A cover assembly;
(C) a supply unit for sequentially taking out the plurality of cover removal units, the supply unit comprising:
(I) a base having a front portion and a rear portion, wherein the front portion has a generally keyhole-shaped opening;
(Ii) an upright tower coupled to the rear portion of the base, the tower having an internal chamber for holding a plurality of stacked cover removal units, the internal chamber of the tower having a slot in the slot; An upright tower formed close to the base, and
(Iii) The generally key-shaped opening formed in the base portion of the supply unit by moving between a first withdrawal position and a second removal position and selecting one unit selected from the cover removal unit An ejector slide received in the slot of the inner chamber for moving up
A stethoscope head cover device, comprising: a supply unit comprising a housing having:   The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the flat portion of the base includes an open portion aligned with the open portion of the upstanding rim of the base.

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